A Qatari delegation were “blown away” during a visit to the American Express Community Stadium and want to use the same model for the 2022 World Cup stadiums.

Albion director Derek Chapman, who oversaw the building of the stadium, said the committee want to emulate the community aspect of the stadium and preferred it over Wembley or the Emirates.

Mr Chapman is managing a construction firmin the Gulf state which is tendering for World Cup contracts and used his contacts to bring the Qataris to Falmer.

He dismissed reports of corruption and human rights abuses, saying regulations were some of the strictest in the world.

The organising committee were invited by the UK Government to visit facilities in England including the Amex and the training ground at New Monk’s Farm on a fact-finding mission on Thursday.

Mr Chapman said: “It’s a big coup to have them come to Brighton and say they preferred it to Wembley or the Emirates.

“They were blown away by the stadium and its community aspect.”

Mr Chapman, who has been Albion director since 1999, retired from his company Adenstar Developments in 2012.

Despite being offered £6 million for the firm in the past, in 2010 he gave the company away to its senior management to save 60 jobs and focus on project-managing the Amex construction being built by the Buckingham Group.

In 2012 Buckingham formed a joint venture with Qatari company Almana, which led to a management takeover of poorly-performing construction subsidiary Manco International with Mr Chapman at the helm.

He only accepted after agreeing a deal which allowed him to commute to the gas-rich state fortnightly and be home for the weekend. 

Mr Chapman, the only UK national to manage a wholly-owned Qatari company, said: “I said there was a problem because I liked watching football and I wouldn’t do full-time, but they accepted.

“When I’m at home I’m bored. The thing I miss when I’m away is watching the Albion play.

“I draw no salary but if successful I will get a percentage of profit. My philosophy is never to reward failure.”

He has full power over the business, which employs 500 people andhas already tendered for has already tendered for more than £120 million worth of contracts.

Bidding will begin for the eight stadiums and 93 training grounds later this year.

Mr Chapman hopes the Qatari visit to the Amex is proof of British construction competence following on from the 2012 Olympic Games.

He said: “Someone’s got to build the stadiums so why not British contractors.

“I’ve not seen any corruption, tender regulations are very strict, “I really don’t understand the articles about slave labour, all of our employees are well looked after – if they were not I would not be working in Qatar.

“The working conditions are as stringent as anywhere in the world. We supply three meals a day, in the summer they have a three to four hour midday break by law, and all men are lectured on heat exhaustion.

“I’m not saying abuses don’t happen but the press just want to sensationalise it.”